Falafel Sandwich - A Classic Middle Eastern Meal

Padhu is a great fan of middle eastern food. Infact every vacation we take he tries at least one middle eastern restaurant.I was not that inclined to it because half the places we ate at did not serve very tasty falafels.
The best restaurant falafel sandwich I have had is at this little Falafel joint in Key west Florida called Falafel King and of course no one can forget the taste at the famous Falafel point in Bay Area California. Here in MA we have eaten at many middle eastern restaurants, the closest that has come to satifying our taste buds was Amsterdam Falafal in Somerville,thanks to Santhosh and Sandhya who introduced us to this place.

So after so many failed attempts at good middle eastern restaurant hunting , I finally decided to take the challenge and make it at home.Ever since if it's falafel it's only home made.

Here is a very simple middle eastern main course consisting of Falafel, Hummus, Couscous Salad and Cucumber dip.

Lets start with the Falafel.

Crispy and full of flavors but deep fried.I have tried baking and shallow frying but the result is satisfactory only when deep frying.It's ok to indulge once in a while.

For Falafel yeilds 10

Chick Peas or Garbanzo Beans - 1 can
Onion 1 small finely chopped
Garlic 2 cloves shredded
Parsley flakes 3 tablespoon , you can use fresh parsley too.
Coriander 2 tablespoon finely chopped
Salt to taste
Green Chillies 2-3 chopped
Cumin 1 tsp
Besan 2 Tablespoon
Bread Crumbs for tightness.
Oil for deep frying
Mash the chick peas in a bowl. Add onions, parsley, green chillies, salt, coriander leaves,cumin and garlic.
We are aiming at making patties out of this mixture. So add besan to get the desired tightness.I always use both besan and bread crumbs.

Make small balls and slightly flatten them.Deep fry until golden brown and keep aside.
This can be served as an apetizer alone as well with tahini or hummus.
Hummus and Tahini

Hummus is basically a dip made from chickpeas.This is just a basic recipe, you can experiment by adding a variety of ingredients.Once you make it at home you will never go back to buying a store bought one.
Tahini is basically ground sesame seeds with olive oil.
I usually add tahini to my hummus recipe.It's just the way we like it. Home made hummus stays fresh for about 4-5 days.

Tahini recipe
White sesame seeds 2 tablespoon
olive oil 1 tablespoon
Roast the sesame seeds and ground it. Mix with olive oil to get a smooth paste.

Hummus recipe
Chick peas - 1 cup , I prefer not to use canned chickpeas for this. I use fresh chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked. Save the water that you used to cook chick peas.
Lime Juice 2 tablespoon
garlic cloves- 2 crushed
salt to taste
olive oil 2 tablespoons
Tahini 2 tablespoons
Parsley 1 tablespoon

Add all the ingredients except parsley and olive oil in a blender and blend till smooth. Place it in a bowl. Make a well and add olive oil.
Garnish with parsley.
Serve immediately with warm pita bread and falafel.
Couscous Salad

Couscous is another product of the semolina family. Couscous is a staple food throughout the North African cuisines of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya, as well as the Middle East.It's used in wide variety of salads and also to substitute rice in many vegetarian dishes.
I am using pearl couscous also known as Israeli couscous for this simple easy breezy salad.

Couscous 1 cup
Vegetable broth 2 cups
olive oil 1 tablespoon
Garlic 1 clove shredded
Cooked corn 1/2 cup
Green apple chopped 1/2 cup
Cucumber chopped 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Lime juice - optional.
Salad Supreme seasoning - 1 tablespoon or more

Heat a pan and add oil and garlic.Now add couscous and roast till light brown. Add vegetable broth and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook on a low flame.
Couscous takes about 10 minutes to absorb all the water.
Switch off and fluff with a fork.Let it cool down.
Add couscous to a bowl.Now add apples, corn and cucumber.Add some salt. Sprinkle some salad seasoning on top. Toss before serving.
This is a very simple recipe, you can add variety of ingredients and experiment.I love the taste of couscous cooked in broth as it is, no need for anything else.

Cucumber Dip

Grated cucumber 1/2 cup
Lemon juice
Dill leaves - finely chopped
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Mix all the above , cover and chill it. Your dip is ready.



Falafel Sandwich

Pita Bread - This is available readily at all grocery stores. I am yet to try making this at home, will definitely post the recipe if it's a success.
Iceberg Lettuce- shredded- optional
Chopped tomatoes- optional
Shredded Cheese optional
Falafel
Hummus
Cucumber Dip
Coucous salad

Warm the pita bread on a microwave, Cut it to make a pocket.Fill it with falafel, hummus, lettuce, tomatoes and serve it with couscous salad and cucumber dip.
This will make for a heartening meal. Enjoy!